Wire-netting machine



(fr0 Model.) s sheets-s heen 1 W. v-W. C. ORR. WIRE NBTTING MACHINE.

Patened Nov. 5; 1895. y

3 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

W. a W. 0. ORB.. WIRE NBTTING MACHINE.l

Patented Nov. 5, 1895.

Illll PN OLFTNO. ASHINGYON DC (No Model.) f V 3 Sheets-Sheet 3. W. 8v W. C. ORB. WIRE NETTING MACHINE.

ANDREW B GHAHAM, PNOTOUTHQWASNINGTDMD C UNITED STATES' PAT-ENT OFFICE.

VILLIAM ORR AND VALTER C. ORR, OF TRENTON, NEV JERSEY.

WIRE-NETTING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 549,275, dated November 5, 1895.

i Application filed July 20, 1894. Serial No. 518,079. (Noniodel.)

T all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we,WILLIAM ORR and WALTER C. ORE, citizens of the United States, residing at Trenton, county of Mercer, State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in VVire-Netting and Similar Machines, fully described and represented in the following specification and the accompanying drawings, forming a part of the same.

This invention relates particularly to machines used for making wire-netting of hexagonal or similar mesh, in which the wires are spread to form the mesh and twisted together by half-gears capable of a partial rotation around a common center, these gears being reciprocated in opposite directions by slides after their rotary movement'for the purpose of spreading the wires to form the mesh, the object of the invention being to provide an improved machine of this class.

The invention relates particularly to the bobbins from which the weft-Wire isdrawn off, to an improved construction .for handling` the heavier selvage-wires used for the opposite edges of the fabric, and to an improved stop-motion for stopping the machine in case of breakage of the wires; and the invention consists in various features of construction and combination of parts, all of which will be fully described hereinafter, and specifically pointed out in the claims.

For a full understanding of the invention a detailed description of a construction embodying the same in its preferred form as applied to a netting-machine of a common general construction will now be given in connection with the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which- Figure 1 is a side elevation of the complete machine. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same. Fig. 3 is a vertical cross-section on line 3 3 of Figs. 1 and 2, looking to the right.- Fig. 4 is a central longitudinal section through one of the weft-bobbins and sets of half-gears, showing the preferred construction. Fig. 5 is a similar view showing a modiiied form of bobbin-holder. Fig. 6 is an enlarged detail view of the construction at the rear end of the bobbin-tube seen in Fig. 4.

As the general construction of the machine is thesame as that of machines now in common use, it will not be described in detail, except so far as is necessary to an understanding of the improvements forming the present invention.

In the drawings, A is the main frame, carrying at one end the spools 10, from which the Warp-wires oc and selVage-wires oc/ are led over guide-rolls 11 12, through a series of half-gears a, past the weft-bobbins, through a second series of half-gears b, coacting with a corresponding set of half-gears b' for the weft, and by which the warp and weft wires are twisted together, whence the fabric passes over the draw-off roll 13 to the wind-up roll 14. The half-gears are carried by slides 15 16 and 17 18 at opposite ends of the weft-bobbins, and the lower slides 16 18 carry the racks 19 20, by which the half-gears are rotated. The slides are shown as reciprocated and the racks actuated to rotate the halfgears by means similar to those in common use, the main driving-shaft S carrying at opposite ends eccentrics 21,connected by slotted pitmen 22 to crank-arms 23 on rock-shafts 24, carrying rigid rocker-arms 25, the opposite ends of which are connected by pitmen 26 to the respective upper and lower slides. The shaft S carries, also, at opposite ends gears 27, actuating crank-disks 2S, connected by pitmen 29 to levers 30, which are connected by slotted pitmen 3l to the racks 19 20, the construction being identical at both ends of the machine. The feed or drawing-off roll 13 is shown as actuated from the main shaft S through a cross-shaft 32 and bevel-gears 33, the shaft 32 carrying a sprocket-wheel, from which a chain 34 drives a stud carrying a pinion which engages a gear 35 on the draw-off roll 13, and the draw-off roll in turn drives the take-up roll 14 by means of a belt 36.

The ab ove general description in connection with the drawings will make the general construction of the machine clear, such general construction and method of operation being substantially the same as in well-known ma chines of this class'. The features embodying the invention will now be described.

In wire-netting and similar machines the use of bobbins from which the wire is drawn off longitudinally of the bobbin has been found very objectionable, as the wire thus comes off in wave form, requiring consider- IOO able tension todi-avt7 the Wire straightin the mesh, this difficulty arising'especially With heavy Wires. The use of such bobbins is very desirable in order that bobbins of small cross-section may be used and at the same time a large supply of Wire be carried. We provide a construction in which the Wire is drawn olf the bobbin transversely to the axis, and then led longitudinally of the bobbin and secure the drawing off at right angles to the axis at all times by mounting the bobbin so as to slide longitudinally under the tension of the wire as .the successive coils are drawn ofi?, thus keeping the coil which is being drawn off opposite the draw-off point. This slidingV bobbin is preferably mounted in a tube, through which the Wire is 'run from the bobbin to the half-gear, so as to avoid any danger of the Weft and Warp Wires interfering, the warp-Wires runnin g outside the tube.

In the construction shown in Figs. lfto 4 the bobbins c are mounted in tubes 37 of about double the length of the spools, and 4the Wire g/ is drawn out from the tube-at about its center over a bearing l, and then returned to the inside of the tube and passed through the latter to the half-gears b. The bearing is preferably covered, as shown, the Wire thus being drawn through an eye, Which prevents the formation of a loop outside the tube. These tubes may be mounted in any suitable manner, but preferably as shown, being provided at their rear ends with openings to receive studs 38, carried by 'the upper `halfgears d', these studs entering against springpressed plungers 3 in the tubes. At the opposite end the upper half-gears b are provided With tailpieces 4, which enter the Open ends of the tubes, so as to support the latter, and may be splined in the tubes, so as to rotate the latter or rotate freely therein. By passing the rear end of a tube over the stud 3S and forcing the tubebaek against the resista-nce of the spring-pressed plunger, the front end may be passed over the tailpieee 4E of the half-gearb, and the reaction of the spring against the plunger Will then hold the tube in position. Eachof the tubes is preferably provided With an opening 2 at the end next the half-gears b' for convenience in threading the Wire into the half-gear.

From Fig. 4, in which a coil of the Wire is shown as drawn off about one-half of the bobbin e, it will be seen that a direct pull at right angles to the axis of the bobbin is secured, the bobbin sliding Within the-tube, so as to keep the part from which the Wire is being Withdrawn directly under the bearing l. lt will be seen, also, that as one or both of the heads of the bobbin are constantly in contact With the inner Wall of the tube a tension device is thus provided by which the requisite tension upon the spoolto prevent overrunning is secured.

In Fig. 5 is shown another construction employing `the sliding spool to rotate and slide upon bar 39, carried by end supports 40,

and the spool is carried between disks 4-1, threaded on the bar 39, and a side bar 42, Which carries an eye forming a bearing l and through which the wire is drawn and then led to the half-gears. The bobbin-frame thus formed is shown as mounted in the halfgears at opposite ends by extending the bar 39 outside the end supports 4:0 and mounting these ends in the tailpieces of the half-gears as in the construction previously described, the spring-pressed plunger 3 being in the tailpiece of half-gear a. It will be obvious that this construction is not so desirable, as the Wires are more likely to become entangled than with the tubes 37. lVith this construction, however, the tension device secured by the engagement of one or both of the heads of the bobbin with the inner Wall of the tube 37, as previously described, may readily be provided, if desired, by using a bobbin with one or both heads of such size as to engage the inner surface of bar 4t2 as the bobbin rotates and slides longitudinally. It will be understood, also, that other constructions employing lon gitudinally-movin g bobbins for the same purpose may readily be made by those skilled in the art, and that the invention is not to be limited to the specific construction shown. This sliding-bobbin feature, also, may be used in many other classes of machines in which itis desirable at all times to draw off the strand at right angles to the axis of the bobbin, and such uses are Within the invention.

Another source of diiiiculty in netting-machines and other machines for making Wire fabrics has been the tendency of the wire to Wear a vgroove in the part over which it passes. Thus in the construction shown the Wire would Wear a groove `at the opposite ends of the tubes 37, or in thetailpieces of the halfgears. This is especially objectionable in machines of the class shown, employing twisting half-gears, as the Wire soon Wears a groove and catches when the slides are actuated to shift the half-gears or the latter are rotated. We avoid this objection by the use of an adjustable bearing, over which the Wire is led, and in the construction shown in Fig. LL and in detail in Fig. G a small steel ring 5 is set into each end ofthe tube, so as to project very slightly therefrom. This ring turns freely on the tube and may be adjusted by the fingers to provide a new bearing-surface for the Wire; but preferably it will be sufficiently loose so that the action of the Wire upon the ring Will be sufiicient to secure its rotation to expose the surface evenly to the Wire. If any slight groove should be worn, the pull on this will be suilicient to turn the ring and present a new surface, and the pressure of the Wire maybe suflieient before any groove is Wvorn. In Fig'. 5 the bearing-rings 5 are set into the tailpieces of the half-gears With the same result. Any other suitable arrangement of the adjustable bearing may be made. Much difficulty has been found in the IOO IIO

handling of selvage-wires in such machines. These selvage-wires are necessarily stronger than the interior wires and are generally made of three or four wires twisted together or of heavy single wires. The weight ofthe wire and the drag upon the spools, especially where twisting-spools are used to twist the selvagewire in the machine, cause such a drag that the tension upon these Wires is so much in eX- cess of the tension on the lighter body-wires that the edges of the fabric are liable to curl up. Vi/ve avoid this difficulty by providing positive feeding-rolls for the selvage-wires, these rolls preferably being provided with grooves, in which the selvage-wires run, so as to keep them in position, although this latter feature is not essential. These selvagefeeding rolls may be placed at any suitable point between the selvage-spools and windup roll, but will preferably act upon the selvage before the draw-off roll, and in the construction shown are placed between the spools and twisting devices, so as to act before the latter, these selvage-feeding rolls thus securing the action of the rolls upon the selvage* wires before the body-wires are twisted about them, which is desirable for securing a positive feed under uniform pressure. These feeding-rolls may be used in connection with single heavy wires or with wires twisted in the machine, but in either case should draw off j ust the quantity of wire required for the selvage, and thus regulate the latter. The selvage-wires m' are shown as single heavy wires drawn off spools 10, similar to the spools for the body-wires. The selvage-feeding rolls m are shown as placed just at the rear of the first set of half-gears and as driven by a vertical shaft 43, driven from main shaft S through bevel-gears 44 and driving the feeding-rolls m through bevelgears 45. The feeding-rolls m are shown as grooved for the selvage-wires, which, as above stated, is preferred, so that they are held in position.

XVe have provided, also, a simple and efficient construction of electric stop controlled by the fabric as it passes from the last set of half-gears to the draw-off roll, and we preferably combine with this devices by which the machine is stopped in case of a break in a wire before it reaches the half-gears. The latter stopping devices also may be used alone without the devices controlled by the twisted fabric or with other devices for this purpose.

In the construction shown the belt-shifting lever 46, coacting with fast and loose pulleys 47 48 on the main shaft S, as usual in such constructions, is mounted upon a bracket 50 on the main frame and held in position during the operation of the machine to hold the belt on the fast pulley 47 by a catch-lever 51, engaging a stud on the lever 46. At the rear end of the catch-lever 5l is mounted a weighted bar 52, which is held normally raised by a catch 53, carrying the armature 54 of a magnet 55, so that when the magnet is energized and the armature 54 attracted the catch 53 will be drawn down to release the weighted bar 52, which will then strike the rear arm of catch-lever 5l and release the shifting-lever 46, which will then be actuated by spring 56 to throw the belt onto the loose pulley 48 and stop the machine.

The magnet is energized in case of a break as follows: From the battery d one of the wires e rims through the magnet to a bar 6, extending across the machine just behind the draw-off roll and below the wires and insulated from the frame, and the other wire f from the battery connects with an insulated shaft 7, mounted above the wires, and on which is loosely sleeved a weighted finger 8 for each mesh, these fingers engaging and being supported by the wire of adjacent meshes and being normally pressedv down by the weights. In case of breakage of any one of the wires the Ycorresponding Viinger 7 will be released and thrown downwardly by its weighted end, when 'the finger will come into contact with the bar 6 and close the circuit through the magnet, thus stopping the inachine by the release of the catch 53, as previously described.

The stopping devices for the opposite end of the machine are as follows: Upon each of the warp-wires and preferably upon the selvage-wires o2' also, is hung between the guide-rolls ll l2 a'weightg, which preferably carries a small roller for reducing the friction of the wire, so that the weight will remain in position and the wire pass freely through it. Below these weights a receiver consisting of a pan 57 extends across the machine so as to receive any one of the weights when dropped, this pan being carriedv by arms on a rockshaft 58, a forwardly-eXtending arm 59 on which shaft is connected by a cord 60 to the rear end of the lever-catch 5l. By this construction, when a Warp-wire breaks between the spool and the point where the twist takes place or the supply on one ofthe spools is exhausted, the weight g, carried by that wire, draws the wire down and falls into the pan 57, thus acting on the cord 60 to draw down the rear end of the lever-catch 5l and release the belt-shifting lever 46, which then throws IOO IIO

the belt onto the ,loose pulley, as previously described.

What is claimed ism l. The combination with a bobbin holder of substantially double the length of the bobbin and having a bearing at or near the middle over which the wire is drawn off the bobbin, of a bobbin mounted thereon to slide longitudinally of its axis and with the periphery of the head of the bobbin in contact with the bobbin holder, substantially as described. v

2. The combination with a bobbin holder consisting of a tube of substantially double the length of the bobbin and having a bearing at or near the middle over which the wire is drawn off the bobbin, of abobbin mounted to slide within and supported by the wall of the tube, substantially as described.

The combination with wire feeding devices, of a bearing over which the wire passes, said bearing being loosely mounted so as to be automatically adjustable transversely to the wire, substantially as described.

4. A wire netting machine having a bearing over which the wire passes to the twisting devices, said bearing being loosely mounted so as to be automatically adjustable transversely to the wire, substantially as described.

5. A wire netting machine having a loosely mounted ring forming a bearing automatically adjustable transversely to the wire and over which the wire passes to the twisting devices, substantially as described.

The combination with the half gears b', of bobbin holders mounted on said half gears of substantially double the length of the bobbins, bobbins c mounted to slide in said bobbin holders, and bearings l at or near the middle of the bobbin holder over which the wire passes from the bobbin to the half gears, substantially as described.

7. The combination with the half gears b', of tubes 37 mounted on said half gears of substantially double the length of the bobbins, bobbins c mounted to slide in said tubes and supported by the wall of the tubes, and bearings l at or near the middle of said tubes over which the wire passes to the twisting gears, substantially as described.

S. The combination with the half gears b, y D', and bobbin holders mounted on said gears b, of loosely mounted bearing rings 5 over which the warp wires are led to the half gears b, substantially as described.

9. The combination with the half gears a, a. and b, U, and bobbin holders mounted on said gears ct, b', of loosely mounted bearing rings 5 over which the warp wires are led from the half gears ct and to the half gears b, substantially as described.

10. The combination with the draw off roll of a wire fabric machine, of feeding rolls for the selvage wires, said feeding rolls being out of engagement with the body of the fabric, substantially as described.

l1. The combination with the twisting devices and draw off roll of a wire netting machine, of feeding rolls for the selvage wires, said feeding' rolls being out of engagement with the body of the fabric, substantially as described.

12. The combination with the twistingdevices and draw off roll of a wire netting machine, of groovcd feeding rolls .for the selvage wires, said feeding rolls being out of engagement with the body of the fabric, substan-l tially as described.

13. The combination with the twisting devices and draw-off roll 13, of selvage feeding rolls m between the selvage spools and draw vices and draw off roll 13, of selvage feeding rolls m between the selvage spools and twisting devices, substantially as described.

1G. The combination with a wire fabric machine, of shaft 7, fingers 8 mounted on shaft 7 and resting on the wires, bar 6 with which the fingers make contact when released, a magnet circuit one wire of which connects with shaft 7 and the other with bar 6, and stop mechanism controlled by said magnet circuit, substantially as described,

17. The combination with stop lever 46, of pivoted catch V51 holding said lever normally in position for the operation of the machine, weight bar 52, armature lever carrying a catch supporting said bar 52, a magnet, and means for controlling said magnet by the fabric whereby the weight bar 52 is released and thecatch 5l operated to release the lever 4G in case of breakage of one of the strands, substantially as described.

18. The combination with stop lever 4:6, of pivoted catch 51 holding said lever normally in position for the operation of the machine, weight bar 52, armature lever 53 carrying a catch supporting said bar 52, a magnet, iingers 8 mounted on shaft 7, bar G with which the fingers make contact whenl released, and a magnet circuit, one wireof which connects with shaft 7 and the other with bar G, substantially as described.

19. The combination with stop lever 4G, of pivoted catch 51 holding said lever normally in position for the operation of the machine, weight bar 52, armature lever 53 carrying' a catch supporting said bar 52, a magnet, means for controlling said magnet by the fabric whereby the weight bar is released and the catch 5l operated to release the lever 4G inv case of breakage of one of the strands, weights g carried by the warp strands at the opposite end of the machine, a receiver 57 beneath said weights, and connections between said receiver and catch 5l for tripping the latter by the fall of one of the weights, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof we have hereunto set our hands in the presence of two subscribin witnesses.

VILLIAM ORR. TALTER C. ORR.

Vitnesses:

WM. V. COLEMAN, GEO. I-IETTIGER.

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